2025-08-13

Grounded is a survival game where you’ve been mysteriously shrunken down to the size of an ant. Your mission is to uncover who shrunk you and why, all while battling bugs to stay alive. You’ll encounter everything from aphids, weevils, and grubs to black widows and termites.

Fun fact: There are roughly 139 creatures in Grounded (including boss fights like the Broodmother spider and various Black Widows).

If you suffer from arachnophobia, the game includes an accessibility setting to help. When you first launch the game, you’ll be prompted to turn it on or leave it off, and you can always change it later in the settings.

You can craft armor and weapons, as well as build and customize your base (or multiple bases). My personal favorites are:

• The Spicy Coaltana – a katana forged from charcoal found at a knocked-over BBQ. It’s highly effective against wolf spiders and orb weavers.
• The Broodmother Armor Set – unlocked after defeating the Broodmother boss in its hedge nest.

Another fun fact: There are 16 unique armor sets and over 20 weapons and tools in Grounded!

Every enemy and creature has specific weaknesses and weak points. You can observe them using the “Peeping” mechanic, where your character forms binoculars with their hands to spot details.

As for characters, there are 4 playable teens (ages 12–18, according to the Grounded Wiki) who were shrunk:

• Willow – a quick-thinking teen.
• Pete – smart and nerdy but squeamish and easily scared.
• Max – a sporty, mellow class clown who reminded me of The Flash or Spider-Man with his quick quips and humor during tense situations.
• Hoops – an athletic, natural-born leader who tends to think she knows it all.

There was a 5th teen who, according to the preview version, met their demise in an ant hill. I recall finding their corpse during early access, but I haven’t been able to find anything about them or their final location in the full release.

Overall Rating: 9.7/10
Would 100% recommend to anyone who doesn’t suffer from arachnophobia.

Stay gold, Rebelz!

Until next time,
—RiZZO